It’s been a while since I actually made a dress and it didn’t actually go all that well. A couple of years ago, I made a Hinterland and…

Still can’t believe I caught a cicada on my dress in this one, but that’s not really the point here. Bottom line: I’ve only worn this dress once or twice. It’s been hanging in my closet the whole time and I never reach for it. I’ve never gotten Hinterland out of my mind though, I even put it on my make nine list for this year.

I knew it was coming and so this last week, I decided to finally dig in and try to figure out Hinterland. I started with the less than happy task of trying on the old one to try and diagnose the issues.

Ok, maybe I lied about it hanging in my closet. Clearly I meant to say it’s been balled up on the top shelf. Putting this on, the fit wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting. The biggest thing was the tightness across the bust and in the sleeve/shoulder. It doesn’t look so bad in the picture, but the buttons definitely pull and look pretty bad if I lift my arms. First idea, more room in the bust. I even talked about the sleeve cap in the first blog post, so that’s another issue. Second idea, more room in the shoulder/bicep. The third is a little less obvious but something that nagged at me immediately is the skirt. I’m just more drawn to more swish. I’ve seen the designer in a version where she just made a bigger, more gathered skirt – boom, idea three.

Beyond that, this just isn’t a great quality make. I tried to shortcut the neck binding and it was a five alarm disaster. There was cutting involved with the repair and I’m sure that doesn’t help the bodice fit in the end.

Bodice muslin! This fabric is a little more stiff than what I’m using, but I didn’t have enough scraps in anything similar, so here we are. I also havent’ sewed darts in a million years, so this is not the best try. All that aside, here we are with a full bust adjustment, sleeveless, no-placket version. I’m hoping this will solve the bust and bicep issues – in any future sleeved versions, I’ll probably explore a bicep adjustment. I also wanted a simple look on this one, so no buttons.

I’ve really enjoyed the process with this dress. I’ve done a little bit most nights this week and then finished it up this afternoon. And, drum roll please… Volia!

I given you Hinterland, version 2. This is more like it. I can’t wait to wear this all summer and fall long. It’s so drapy and comfy right now and I think it will look great with a sweater under or under it.

I think I’ll still futz with the bodice – maybe I just need to raise the arm scythe a little? Everything I make shows my bra and I have to wear a tank underneath. Anyway, I can’t complain, I feel soooo me in this.

So details – my current measurements are 41″ – 35″ – 47″ and I cut a 14. I did a 1″ FBA , added 2 inches to the skirt length, and added 16″ total to the skirt width. I was looking for a much more gathered version and that did it. The fabric is from Blackbird Fabrics, the same linen / rayon blend I used for my Metamorphic Dress and Gypsum Skirt; this colorway is called cactus. This is number 6 of my make 9 for the year and another year of stash project.

Last but not least, I want to give a huge shoutout to my darlin Joshua – the best FO photographer around. You make your old mom with no makeup and dirty hair feel great.

---

Happy making!